Skelp-drawing apparatus for butt-welding.



(Application filed. Dec. 31, 1900 (No Ilodol.)

2 Sheets-sheaf I.

TN & lvfwem'for Wifnesszs:

No.672,9|4. Patented Apr. 30, I901.

E. E. QUIMBY. SKELP DRAWING APPARATUS FOR BUTT' WELDING.

(Application filed Dec. 31, 19 O0.)

2 Sheets-Shoet 2.

Inveniqr THE Noam: PETERS co PHOTQLIIHKL wnsnmcmu. a. c:

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD E. QUIMBY, OF ORANGE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO THE NATIONAL TUBE COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

SKELP-DRAWING APPARATUS FOR BUTT-WELDING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No; 672,914, dated April 30, 1901.- Application filed December 31, 1900. $erial No. 41,604. (No modeh) To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD E. QUIMBY, of Orange, county of Essex, State of New J er sey, have invented a certain Improvement in Skelp-Drawing Apparatus forButt-Welding, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this improvement is'to facilitate the use of rapidly-running draw-chains in the art of'butt-welding. heretofore used are endless sprocket-chains the alternate links of which present openings a few inches in length. In practice the forward end of the metal skelp or ribbon when properly heated in the furnace is grasped by slender tongs, the handles or reins of which extend through a flaring hollow dieor scalled welding-bell. The forward ends of the reins are bent laterally or have collars forged on them,iadapting them for being e11- gaged by the rear end of a pulling-hook, the forward end of which consists of a downwardly-projecting cnrvedprong which it is the attendants duty to insert at the proper time into a link of the draw-chain. The result is that the hot skelpis drawn forward endwise into and through the welding bel'l, wherein its welding hot edges are made toprogressively curve over toward, abut against, and weld fast to each other.

The necessity for manually inserting the prong of the pulling-hook into the comparatively short space which the open link of the draw-chain presents for it,-which requires the exercise of considerable alertness by the-attendant, constitutesone of the'limitations imposed upon the speed of the'draw-chain. In the present invention this limitation is removed by constructing the forward end of the prongs of the pulling-hook the manualinsertion of theprongs is so greatly facilitated that the speed of the draw-chain may be greatly increased.

' Another feature of the invention consists The draw-chains in the combination of the draw-chain with an inclined switch arranged immediately above the draw-chain at the required point in the path of the pulling-hook, whereby the forward end of the pulling-hook after encountering the inclined switch rides upward until the prongs are lifted out of engagement with the chain.

As endless draw-chains and driving mechanism therefor are common and well known,

it is not deemed necessary to herein show the entire chain or the chain-driving mechanism. 7 The accompanying drawings of apparatus illustrating the invention are as follows, viz:

Figure l is a side elevation of a portion of the upper horizontal section of the endless sprocket-chain, showing in elevation the pulling-hook with its forward end engaged with the chain and its rearward. end engaging in the usual Way the forward ends of the reins of the tongs. and sprocket-chain, showing every open link provided with a pair of laterally-projecting,

bosses. Fig. 3 is a top-view of thev sprocketchain, showing a modified arrangement of the bosses in which every third open link is without a boss. Fig. a is atop view of the table, showing another modification of the chain in which the bosses are provided on every other open link, also affording a top view of the switch,- showing the manner in which the switch is fastened to the table. elevation of the sprocket-chain, switch, and pulling-hook, showing the operation of the switch in causing the forward end of the pulling-hook to rise out of engagement with the chain. of the pulling-hook and a transverse section Fig. 7 is a transverse section of the rear end of the pulling-hook, showing the verticalslit for engaging the reins of the tongs; l r Fig. 8 is atop view of the pulling-hook.

The drawings show portions of a familiar Fig. 6 is an elevation of the front end Fig. 2 is atop view ofa table Fig. 5 is an form of endless sprocket-chain A, the alter-j nate or open links A of whichare composed of parallel bars B B, which overlap the ends of and are connected by the pivots O with intermediate links, each composed of a single bar D.

In the practice hitherto obtaining the on gagement of the pulling-hook was effected by inserting the single prong of the old pullinghook into the receiving-space afforded by one of the open links A of the draw-chain. In the present improvement the pairs of parallel bars B B, or any desired proportion of the whole number of such pairs, are provided upon their outer sides with the laterally-projecting bosses b b. The usual feed-table E is employed, but its slot E is made wide enough to admit of being traversed by the chain provided with the laterally-projecting bosses b b.

The receiving-spaces F F for admitting the prongs of the pulling-hook are between the opposite sides of the chain and the opposite walls of the slot E, and are bounded at their ends on one side by the adjacent bosses b b and on the other side of the chain by the corresponding adjacent bosses b b. The longitudinal dimensions of these receiving-spaces may therefore be varied, as may be desired, by appropriately varying the construction of the bossedlinks. For example, each of the open links A may have its bar B B provided with the bosses Z) b at its forward end, as illustrated in Fig. 2, in which case the receiving-spaces F F for the reception of the prongs of the hook will be slightly more than double the length of the available receiving-spaces in the open links A, into which, according to the old practice, the single prong of the old pulling-hook had to be inserted.

By the arrangement shown in Fig. 2 the speed of the draw-chain can be doubled without giving rise to any difficulty in connecting with the draw-chain the pulling-hook of the present invention.

If itshould be desired to still further increase the length of the receiving-spaces F F, the bosses may be arranged as in Fig. 3, showing one pair of bosses arranged at the forward end of one open link A and the next pair at the rear end of the next following open link, in which case every third open link will be unprovided with any projecting bosses. It is not essential that the successive receiving-spaces shall be of precisely the same length. They will be of the same length, however, if every open link is provided with pairs of bosses, as illustrated in Fig. 2, or if every alternate open link be provided with bosses, as illustrated in Fig. 4. These modes of arranging the bosses with reference to providing receiving-spaces of greater or less length are herein shown and described merely for the purpose of illustrating the fact that by appropriately proportioning the lengths of the receiving-spaces the draw-chain may be speeded up more or less without impairing the facility with which it may be connected with the pulling-hook provided with the bifurcated forward end, which constitutes another feature of the present invention.

The contour of the new pulling-hook G in side elevation, as shown in Fig. 1, is substantially the same as that of the 01d singlepron ged pulling-hook; but its forward end, as shown in Fig. 6, is widened and is provided with two downwardly-projecting prongs g and g, adapted to straddle the open link A and to be engaged by the bosses b b when dropped into either of the pairs of recei ving-spaces F F.

As will be seen in Fig. 6, the lower extremities of the prongs g g are slightly rounded, and the upper parts of the walls of the slot E of the table are formed with the flares E E by means of which they are made to act as guides which facilitate the introduction of the prongs g g into the receiving-spaces F.

The rear end of the pulling-hook is of the usual construction. Thus the rear end of the shank H is provided with the downwardlyprojecting lug H, the lower part of which is formed with the channel It for receiving the reins I of the tongs. The lower part of the lug H is formed with the usual forward olfsets 71- h, the tops of which incline upwardly and backwardly to the lug and serve as stops for engaging the under side of the bends or collars l on the forward ends of the reins, and thus preventing the dropping out of the reins from the channel h when the pullinghook is in operation.

As will be seen in Fig. 8, the shank H gradually widens from the rear to the front end of the pulling-hook and is provided with the handle H The forward end of the shank of the pulling-hook between the prongs g g is chamfered or rounded, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1, and forms what for convenience may be called the breast G. This chamfering or rounding of the breast G adapts it for engaging and riding upward over the inclined tongue K of the fixed switch-block K. The resultant upward travel of the forward end of the pulling-hook effects the disengagement of the prongs g g from the bosses,which prior to such disengagement have been imparting forward motion to the pulling-hook. The switch-block K is provided with flanges .K K adapting it to be supported upon the top of the table E, to which it may be secured in any convenient manner-as, for example, by the screws 70, passing through perforations in the flanges and screwed into holes 76 7o, tapped in the table. The table may be provided with a multiplicity of such holes, or any other convenient means may be employed for adjusting the switch-block in such predetermined position as will make it operate to effect the disengagement of the pullinghook from the chain after the plate or skelp has been drawn far enough to complete the buttwelding operation. Other expedients may be employed for automatically eifecting ically efiecting the disengagement of the pulling-hook from the draw-chain at any prescribed stage in'the path of travel of the pulling-hook. I

It will be seen that the described apparatus, broadly considered, is adapted to facilitate the use of rapidly-running endless drawchains employed for driving-tongs or other instrumentalities for grasping a plate or other object to which it is desired motion shall be forcibly imparted.

What is claimed as the invention is 1. In apparatus for imparting endwise motion to tongs adapted to grasp an object requiring to be forcibly moved, the combination, as herein set forth, of a draw-chain provided on its sides with outwardly-projecting bosses arranged at prescribed distances apart, with a pulling-hook provided with prongs adapting it to straddle the draw-chain between adjacent pairs of said bosses and adapted to engage the tongs or other instrumentality for grasping the object to be operated upon.

2. In apparatus for imparting endwise motion to tongs adapted to grasp an object requiring to be forcibly moved, the combination, as herein set forth, of the following instrumentalities, namely-a draw-chain provided on its sides with outwardly-projecting bosses arranged at prescribed distances apart; a pulling-hook adapted to engage the tongs, or other instrumentality, for grasping the object to be operated upon and provided with prongs adapting it to straddle the draw-chain between adjacent pairs of bosses, and guides for facilitating introduction of said prongs into the receiving-spaces between said adjacent pairs of bosses while said draw-chain is in motion.

3. The combination, as herein set forth, of an instruinentality for grasping an object requiring to be forcibly moved endwise, a pulling-hook adapted for connection with said instrumentality, an endless draw chain for engaging and imparting motion to said pullinghook, and a switch arranged immediately above the draw-chain for automatically lifting said pulling-hook from said draw chain at a predetermined stage in the path of travel of said pulling-hook.

4. In apparatus for imparting endwise motion to tongs, or other instru mentality requiring to be forcibly moved, a laterally-bossed draw chain; a two pronged pulling hook adapted to transversely straddle said chain and adapted for connection with said tongs, and a switch arranged at a predetermined stage in the path of travel of said pullinghook for engaging the breast of said pullinghook between said prongs, thereby causing said pulling-hook to ride upwardly out of operative engagement with said draw-chain.

EDW. E. QUIMBY.

Witnesses:

A. M. J ONES, E. GATTERER. 

